Modernising fiscal procedures: the European
Commission welcomes adoption of the Fiscalis 2013 Programme by the
Council

The European Commission welcomes the adoption by
the Council of the Fiscalis 2013 programme (see IP/06/639)
for the period 2008-2013. The new programme aims at providing Member States with
means to better combat tax fraud and to cut compliance costs for traders in the
VAT and excise duties areas. It will continue to stimulate cooperation between
tax authorities and assist them in developing an appropriate balance between
efficiency of controls and burdens on taxable persons. It will also contribute
to the development and management of trans-European IT tax systems.

László Kovács, Commissioner for Taxation and Customs said:
“I am very happy of the adoption of the Fiscalis 2013 Programme. National
tax administrations need to be modernised and to strengthen cooperation in order
to be efficient in the fight against fiscal fraud. The Fiscalis 2013 programme
will actively contribute to enhance cooperation between tax administrations and
to implement IT systems allowing quick exchange of information."

Background information

The Fiscalis 2013 programme will continue the works undertaken under the
Fiscalis 2007 programme.

Main objectives of the Fiscalis 2013 programme are:

Enhancing the fight against tax fraud, in particular against "VAT carrousel
fraud";

Reducing the administrative burden on administrations and taxable
persons;

Ensuring a performing exchange of information between national tax
administrations as well as with traders through e.g. trans-European tax IT
systems.

At an operational level, the new programme would in
particular:

Boost the effectiveness of the tax administrations via the automation of
audit tools;

Support the implementation of the Excise Movement Control System (e.g.
allowing reduced time for discharge of excise movements of goods to traders) as
from mid 2009;

Support the development of training tools available to all tax
administrations.

The new programme's impact ranges far beyond the
direct stakeholders which are the national tax administrations of the Member
States: the Fiscalis 2013 programme will contribute to more efficient and
targeted tax controls by national tax administrations so that reliable traders
will benefit from less compliance burden. The text of the Fiscalis 2013
programme will be made available on the following website after publication in
the Official Journal:

[1] VIES : IT system
enabling Member States to obtain VAT information on intra-Community
transactions. Some VIES data are also accessible to the public via "VIES on the
web" which enables internet confirmation of the validity of the VAT
identification number of a taxable person